I love poetry and music. When it comes to songs, it has to be a combination of both good poetry (lyrics) and music for a song to strike a chord with me. When people say things like "old is gold", "aaj kal ke songs mein woh baat nai hai" etc, I often find myself disagreeing. Plenty of bad songs were created in the olden days too, just that we only remember the good ones now. While there are countless new songs that are simply beautiful. Consider "Kahin to hogi woh..." from Jane Tu Ya Jaane Na. Or "Khuda Jaane" from Bachna Ae Haseeno, Or "Iktaara" from Wake Up Sid. All of these are beautiful creations in terms of lyrics, in terms of music, and in terms of the feelings they invoke in you. Even some of the quirky ones - like "Kaise Mujhe Tum Mil Gayi" from Ghajini - are quite amazing. In fact, today, a lot more variety exists in the music and many different types of voices have found representation. Because of this love of poetry and music, I decided to write this blog post where I have picked some pictures that invoke certain emotions in me and try to couple them with songs that most closely represent these emotions.
This very cute picture of a grandma enjoying a kulfi while being wrapped up in a shawl made me smile. It reminds me that we can be children for however long we want to be, if only we decide to take a few moments for ourselves every now and then. The song that this reminds me of is "Bachpan ke din bhula na dena..." from the film Deedar.
Following are the lines of the songs that I find most beautiful:
रुत बदले या जीवन बीते
दिल के तराने हों न पुराने
नैनों में बन कर सपन सुहाने
आयेंगे एक दिन यही ज़माने
यही ज़माने
याद हमारी मिटा न देना
आज हँसे कल रुला न देना
I love this picture for the atmosphere that it manages to capture. This was a gathering of the Delhi Drum Circle and I can imagine that this is a fairly non-judgmental place to be. People have let their hair down, aren't inhibited, and are just themselves in the moment. Music can have this kind of an effect. Many of the people in this group were meeting each other for the first time and formed bonds because of their common love for music. The song that this reminds me of is "Chor Bazaari" from Love Aaj Kal.
This song is truly unique. Its quirky beats and quirkier lyrics do touch me in a strange way. It is a celebration of the process of detachment and the sense of freedom that follows.
My favorite lines from this song:
तारीफ तेरी करना हाँ
तुझे खोने से डरना हाँ
हाँ भूल गया अब तुझपे
दिन में चार दफ़ा मरना
प्यार खुमारी उतरी सारी
बातों की बदली भी छट गयी
हम से मैं पे आए ऐसे
मुझको तो मैं ही मैं रट गयी
एक हुए थे दो से दोनों
दोनों की अब राहें बट गयीं
This photograph was clicked in Goa and captures a beautiful moment of companionship. I don't know who these children were - they could be siblings or they could be friends. This scene is complete in itself. There's soft sand beneath your feet, roar of ocean to drown other sounds, and a person to share the moment with. What else could you need? The song that this reminds me of is none other than "Pyaar ke Pal", sung by KK. The song celebrates friendship - love in one of its truest forms.
My favorite lines from the song are:
चल, सोचें क्या, छोटी सी है ज़िन्दगी
कल मिल जाए तो होगी खुश नसीबी
हम रहें या न रहें याद आएँगे ये पल
हम रहें या न रहें कल, कल याद आएँगे ये पल
Sometimes you are just at the right moment at the right time. Of course you need to work hard to get there, like VJ did when he attended Hola Mohalla a few years back. He got some really remarkable photographs from that trip, but this portrait its probably the best candidate for the cover picture of that album. The way this gentleman stands out and his expressions say it all. There are humility, curiosity, and kindness written all over his face.
The song this photograph reminds me of is the evocative "Dikhai diye yun..." from the movie Bazaar. The song take a few verses from a Ghazal by the 18th-Century Sufi poet Mir Taquir Mir and transforms it into a beautiful saga of love bordering on worship.
My favorite lines from the song:
परस्तिश की याँ तक कि ऐ बुत तुझे
नज़र में सभों की ख़ुदा कर चले
दिखाई दिए यूँ कि बेखुद किया
हमें आप से भी जुदा कर चले
One of my personal favorites - this photograph of a tiger cub. Yes, this is a cub, even though he can kill you with its bare paws or merely by its deadly gaze. He is one of the two "cubs" that the male tiger T-25 or Dollar was bringing up after their mother's untimely death. His tale is truly unique because male tigers bringing up cubs is practically unheard of. Another example of how little we really understand the world of animals, as we call them. The song that this reminds me of is none other than "Mud Mud ke na dekh..." from the movie Shree 420.
My favorite lines from the song are:
नैनों से नैना जो मिला के देखे
मौसम के साथ मुस्कुरा के देखे
दुनिया उसी की है जो आगे देखे
मुड़ मुड़ के न देख, मुड़ मुड़ के
ज़िंदगानी के सफ़र में तू अकेला ही नहीं है
हम भी तेरे हमसफ़र हैं
This photograph was clicked in Lonavala and this is me taking in the mesmerizing Western Ghats. This part of our country is the most strikingly beautiful during the monsoons. However, even now when this picture was clicked, the ancient eroded hills cast their own special kind of spell on you if you take a moment to appreciate them.
The song that this reminds me of is of course "Husn Pahadon ka" from Ram Teri Ganga Maili. The song is based on a Himachali song, which I am unable to find.
My favorite lines from the song:
छोटे-छोटे झरने हैं
के झरनों का पानी छू के कुछ वादे करने हैं
झरने तो बहते हैं
क़सम ले पहाड़ों की जो कायम रहते हैं
This photograph was clicked in the Scottish Highlands and as you can see, the scenery is perfect. There's nothing one could change about this. The photograph too is unedited, except for the watermark that has been added. There's a path that leads to the destination and then there's greenery that in itself can be a destination for some. So of course the song this reminds me of is the title song of the movie "Hariyali aur Raasta":
And here are my favorite lines from the song:
मेरी रातों के पहले ख़्वाब का तारा नहीं टूटा
ये क्या कम है, कभी मुझसे मेरा बचपन नहीं रूठा
आग और पानी एक हैं मुझको, दिल में है जब तक प्यार तेरा
जीवन के दो पहलू हैं, हरियाली और रास्ता
This post has been fun to write for me, and a good way to revisit some memories that we have made over the years. So yes, there will be more such posts. Hope everyone enjoys reading them as much as I enjoyed writing it.
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